


Good Bad Ideas

by tookumade



Series: Haikyuu!! Rarepair Week - 2015 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-25
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2018-03-19 12:55:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3610812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tookumade/pseuds/tookumade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Oikawa asks his friends to help out at his nephew’s birthday party, they get a little more than they bargained for.</p><p>(written for Haikyuu!! Rarepair Week - Day 1 - beginnings, celebration)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good Bad Ideas

“My sister,” Oikawa began, “has asked for our help with Takeru’s eighth birthday party this Sunday.”  
  
Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki all stared at him. Oikawa stared back solemnly.  
  
“There will be free food,” he added.  
  
“Okay,” they chorused.  
  
—  
  
“This,” said Iwaizumi on Sunday as he walked by whilst heaving four foldable chairs under his arms, “was not one of our brightest ideas.” Matsukawa and Hanamaki both grunted in agreement.  
  
Since arriving together at Oikawa’s sister’s house at nearly half past nine in the morning, they had been subjected to chaos from the get-go and had barely had time to stop and chat as they helped out with decorations, set up a volleyball net in the backyard, set up the foldable furniture, made various food preparations, and ran out for errands. Just a few minutes before the small army of party guests were due to arrive, Oikawa was still trying to stick up the fairy lights (“Why do you need _fairy lights_ , Oikawa?” “Because it looks _magical_ , Iwa-chan!”) while his sister and her husband ran around and steamrolled everyone in their attempts to make miscellaneous last-minute preparations.  
  
And ready as they tried to be, they were still no match for the actual event. Just half an hour into the party, attended by more than twenty kids under the age of nine, Iwaizumi had already changed his shirt twice after having juice spilt on him (Oikawa had been wise enough to ask them all to bring more than one set of extra clothes, just in case) and had spent much of his time running over to neighbouring houses to reclaim various volleyballs which had been accidentally punted over by the overenthusiastic kids; Matsukawa, being the tallest person in the room, had given most of Takeru’s friends a piggy-back ride each but there were still more waiting their turn (“Oh my god, I am in so much pain.”); Hanamaki had been taken prisoner in the kitchen by Oikawa’s sister and a friend who had stayed to help with the party (“If one more person asks me why I don’t have a girlfriend, I am _leaving_.”); Oikawa had been running around all morning, trying to keep an eye on the volleyball playing, as well as trying to placate everyone, from the adults, his increasingly cranky friends, and each of the twenty-ish hyperactive party go-ers.  
  
Reaching the twelve o’clock mark for lunch, they were all already exhausted, with the exception of Oikawa, who seemed to have limitless energy somehow. Iwaizumi, Matsukawa, and Hanamaki were slumped onto the couch in the living room whilst most of the kids were in the dining room. Matsukawa was fending off two kids who were trying to pull him up for more piggy-back rides, and Iwaizumi and Hanamaki were laughing weakly at his suffering. Oikawa came in to rescue him, gently shooing them away by telling them to have lunch first, and that “He’ll give you both a piggy-back ride later!” and steadfastly ignoring Matsukawa’s glare. When they sprinted off, Oikawa put his hands on his hips and sighed and said, “Having fun?”  
  
His friends grunted in response.  
  
“We really do appreciate your help,” said Oikawa in what he hoped was a pacifying sort of tone.  
  
“I swear, last year’s party wasn’t this bad,” said Iwaizumi. “Where did all these kids come from?”  
  
“Half of them are from Lil Tykes. Takeru is very popular now! It runs in the famil–” Iwaizumi threw a couch cushion at him.  
  
“TOORUUU!” Oikawa’s sister shouted from the kitchen, which was quite a feat, given that the noise level from the kids in the dining room was quite deafening. “I NEED EXTRA HANDS WITH THE FOOD!”  
  
“OKAAAY,” Oikawa shouted back, tossing the cushion back. “Iwa-chan–”  
  
“All right, all right. We need to get something to eat, anyway.” Iwaizumi got to his feet and headed out. Oikawa looked at the other two.  
  
“Are you coming?” he asked.  
  
“Hrrgh,” said Matsukawa.  
  
“In a bit,” said Hanamaki.  
  
When Oikawa left, Matsukawa groaned and slouched to rest his head on Hanamaki’s shoulder.  
  
“Hang in there,” said Hanamaki sympathetically. “We’re stuck here for at least another two hours.”  
  
“Never again,” Matsukawa croaked.  
  
“We need to get food if you’re going to be giving more piggy-back rides. You need to keep your energy up.”  
  
“Maybe I should get the kids to carry me instead,” said Matsukawa. “Maybe I could get them to join forces and hoist me onto their shoulders, like in a mosh-pit. It’ll be like… a team-building exercise.”  
  
“Wow, they really did a number on you, huh?”  
  
“ _You_ try giving two dozen sugar-loaded kids piggy-back rides.”  
  
“You know, I could take half and you could take the other half. We’re not that much different in height, we can work on convincing the kids that it’ll be the same.”  
  
“Seriously?”  
  
“Anything to keep me away from Neesan and her friend. The friend keeps telling me that her younger sister is single. Anyway, I won’t let you suffer alone.”  
  
“Oh my god, thank you, I love you.”  
  
There was a long pause as both took a while to register Matsukawa’s words.  
  
“Um,” said Hanamaki.  
  
“I mean, I have to love you, I’ve put up with you for nearly three whole years,” Matsukawa bulldozed on.  
  
“Sure…”  
  
“I’m–I’m kidding, okay? Don’t make this weird.”  
  
“You’re protesting too much. I’d be flattered, you know.”  
  
There was another pause.  
  
“Really?”  
  
Hanamaki was about to reply when Iwaizumi darted into the room, saw them leaning on each other, and opened and closed his mouth for a moment in a fish-like manner, before shaking his head as though trying to shake off an illusion, and said, “Neesan still needs an extra hand making onigiri. They’re practically inhaling them. Jeez, kids eat so much these days.”  
  
“Don’t make me go again,” Hanamaki moaned. “Matsukawa, switch.”  
  
“I take it back,” Matsukawa muttered as Iwaizumi left the room, and he made to slowly push himself off the couch. “You’re an asshole.”  
  
Hanamaki grinned. “Doesn’t mean you don’t love me.”  
  
“ _Complete_ asshole,” said Matsukawa. He left the room without looking at him.  
  
“Didn’t deny it, either,” Hanamaki muttered to himself, grin widening.  
  
—  
  
Several minutes later, Hanamaki was, somehow, once again stuck on kitchen duty, only this time Oikawa stayed with him to help and make sure he didn’t suddenly snap or actually leave the party when he was asked what his ideal girlfriend would be like. Oikawa’s sister had sent Iwaizumi to borrow some extra chairs from a neighbour, and Matsukawa was fixing up the volleyball net in the backyard, which had fallen over at some point. He had managed to avoid Hanamaki, figuring that Oikawa’s sister and her friend would keep him preoccupied long enough for Matsukawa to re-think how he was going to get himself out of his current situation without making things awkward between them, but he was constantly thrown off his path of thinking whenever he remembered Hanamaki saying ‘ _I’d be flattered, you know_.’  
  
Not for the first time, his fingers stilled at the ropes attached to one side of the net, and he stared at them unseeingly as he crouched there in silence. Being ‘flattered’ could mean anything. But was Hanamaki joking? Would he really–  
  
“ _Sooo_ ,” said Hanamaki loudly, appearing out of freaking _nowhere_ and jumping to a squat beside him,  startling Matsukawa so badly that he lost his balance and fell onto his backside.  
  
“ _Don’t - do - that!_ ”  
  
“Wow, your balance is terrible. Where’s all your volleyball training gone?”  
  
“How the hell did you escape your kitchen prison?”  
  
“I used my natural charms, _obviously_.”  
  
Matsukawa snorted. Hanamaki looked mock-affronted. When Matsukawa pushed himself back into a crouch and resumed tying the ropes of the volleyball net, Hanamaki noted that his fingers were not working as deftly as they usually did. He smiled a little.  
  
“I also told them that I was already interested in someone else,” he said slowly, also noticing the way Matsukawa had stiffened. “Look, about before…”  
  
“I said that in the spur of the moment,” said Matsukawa. Hanamaki made a playful humming noise.  
  
“Maybe, but… you haven’t looked me in the eye since then. Even right now. You can’t tell me the net’s more interesting than my face.”  
  
“It is.”  
  
Hanamaki pushed him and Matsukawa lost his balance again.  
  
“I _almost_ had the net done, you jackass!”  
  
“Why is it taking you so long, anyway? Oikawa sent you out ages ago, and you’re usually the fastest at setting up the nets at practice. Am I really that distracting?”  
  
“Yeah, you are,” said Matsukawa impatiently, returning his attention back to his task. “Now go back inside and let Neesan’s friend set you up with her sister.”  
  
“Sure,” said Hanamaki, “after you look me in the eye and tell me you didn’t mean it.”  
  
“I don’t _need_ to, you _know_ I–”  
  
“And don’t lie to me.”  
  
They fell silent for a while. Matsukawa still did not meet his eyes and looked as though he was trying—and failing very badly—to come up with a retort. His face reddened a little.  
  
“Ah,” said Hanamaki.  
  
“Shut up.”  
  
“You’re so dishonest.”  
  
“I’ll tell the kids that you’re the only one giving piggy-back rides from now on.”  
  
“So shy.”  
  
“I’ll tell them where you live.”  
  
“You’re blushing. I’ve never seen you blush before, wow.”  
  
“ _Shut up._ ”  
  
“Nice,” said Hanamaki, grinning widely. “Super-witty comeback.”  
  
“ _I’m busy._ ”  
  
Hanamaki reached out and grabbed the rope from him suddenly. Their hands brushed, and Matsukawa jerked back like he’d been given an electric shock. Their eyes met for just a brief moment, and the blush on Matsukawa’s face deepened as he looked away hastily. Hanamaki began to laugh.  
  
“Shut _up_ , you dumbass,” Matsukawa groaned, burying his face in his hands.  
  
“I had no idea before today,” said Hanamaki between his laughter and gasps for breath. He still managed to tie the net better than Matsukawa did, though. “How long have you liked me for?”  
  
“Never. You’re the worst.”  
  
“Second year? This year?”  
  
“ _Never_.”  
  
Eventually, Hanamaki’s laughter calmed into soft chuckles. He tucked his knees to his chest and rested his arms on them and watched Matsukawa until he finally took his hands from his face and stared back at him, looking thoroughly exasperated and still blushing.  
  
“I would totally date you, you know,” said Hanamaki, now surprisingly seriously. When Matsukawa raised his eyebrows at him, Hanamaki shrugged and continued, “It could be just the same as how we always are, only now, I get to tell people— _truthfully_ —that I’m no longer single whenever they ask me if I have a girlfriend.”  
  
“Well, you still wouldn’t have a _girl_ friend.”  
  
“True.”  
  
“And you’re okay with that?”  
  
“It’s you. Yeah, I’d be okay with it.”  
  
Matsukawa gave him another look that was slightly pained, slightly embarrassed, and mostly uncertain. Hanamaki gave an exaggerated sigh. “You’re so weird about liking me. I’m so hurt.”  
  
“And you’re having a weird amount of fun with this.”  
  
Hanamaki grinned. “Maybe. Like… I really didn’t consider it before, but ever since you told me that, I’ve been thinking about it–”  
  
“It’s been less than half an hour.”  
  
“–I’ve been thinking about it, and… it just makes so much sense, you know? I like it. It feels… kind of warm.” Hanamaki tapped his own chest lightly, over his heart. “Right here. It’s nice.”  
  
“Oh my god, that was so cheesy.”  
  
“Just because I’m aware of my own feelings, and I’m not emotionally constipated like you are–”  
  
It was Matsukawa’s turn to push him over, and for Hanamaki to land on his backside with a squawk of protest.  
  
“What if… we have a really awful break up?” said Matsukawa after swatting away Hanamaki’s foot when he tried to kick him. Hanamaki stopped and raised an eyebrow.  
  
“Can you actually see us having a really awful break up?” he asked, with so much disbelief that Matsukawa actually felt his shoulders relax a little.  
  
It did sound ridiculous. He couldn’t see it happening. And he was about to say so, when Oikawa threw open the backdoor.  
  
“ _There_ you are!” he exclaimed. “It’s piggy-back time. Some of the kids have finished eating and have started climbing on Iwa-chan, but they keep complaining that he’s not tall enough. I think he’s about to throw them out the window, and I have no idea how I would explain that to their parents.”  
  
“Make them drink a lot of wine first,” said Hanamaki helpfully.  
  
Matsukawa gave a snort of laughter and said, “Come on, dumbass, let’s go rescue him.”  
  
“Ah, but I like seeing Iwaizumi suffer a little.”  
  
“Then you can be the one to hold him back if he goes on a rampage. I’ll be on standby with icepacks for your bruised ego.”  
  
“You’re all terrible,” said Oikawa with a tired sigh as he watched them get to their feet and promptly dissolve into a play-fight. “Why do I let you be around other people?”  
  
—  
  
The adults had begun cleaning up the mess that had once been lunch. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were alternating piggy-back duty and keeping an eye on the half of the crowd of kids who were staying indoors, and Oikawa and Iwaizumi were instructing the other kids who were playing volleyball in the backyard.  
  
“How about we give it a month’s trial?” said Matsukawa to Hanamaki as he crouched to let down his most recent charge, who slid off his back clumsily. “We’ll see how we go doing the dating thing for a month, and just… take it from there.”  
  
It was bizarre, how the look of Hanamaki’s face lighting up made Matsukawa feel slightly winded, in a good way. And the fact that his face lit up at all was… well, he could get used to seeing that.  
  
“Yeah,” said Hanamaki softly, smile spreading across his face. “Okay.”  
  
That smile really should not have made Matsukawa’s heart pound so hard.  
  
“Jeez, don’t look _too_ happy, you creep.”  
  
“Why not?” Hanamaki demanded. “What’s so creepy about me being happy?”  
  
“Nothing. It’s just… I’m just surprised.”  
  
“That I’m happy about it?”  
  
Matsukawa shrugged and looked away, a small embarrassed smile growing on his face.  
  
“ _Emotionally constipated_ ,” Hanamaki stage-whispered.  
  
Before Matsukawa could say or do anything, Iwaizumi and Oikawa re-entered the house and joined them.  
  
“Are you surviving?” Oikawa asked.  
  
“Barely,” Matsukawa replied.  
  
“I’m doing fine,” said Hanamaki brightly. Matsukawa had to refrain from burying his face in his hands again as Iwaizumi and Oikawa stared at him, confused by his sudden energy.  
  
“What happened?” asked Iwaizumi. “Are you on a sugar-high?”  
  
“No,” said Hanamaki, the grin on his face now becoming a wicked one, “but I’ve got a _great_ idea.” He seized a surprised Iwaizumi by the arm and shoved him into a seat at one of the sturdier foldable tables.  
  
“Oh no,” said Matsukawa.  
  
“Makki, _no_ ,” said Oikawa.  
  
“Everyone,” called Hanamaki as he clapped his hands loudly, and more than a dozen heads swivelled to stare at him. “Did you know that Iwa-niisan here is an _undefeated arm-wrestling champion?_ ”  
  
_I’m going to kill you_ , Iwaizumi mouthed to him, as five of the kids immediately dived for him and squabbled with each other over who would be the first to try and take him down. Oikawa sighed, both fondly and tiredly over the ensuing noise, and went to set a bit of order in the impromptu arm-wrestling competition. Matsukawa pinched the bridge of his nose. Hanamaki used this distraction to grasp his sleeve and tug him towards a corner on the other side of the house, near the study.  
  
“What? What’s going on?” Matsukawa murmured. His next breath caught in his throat as Hanamaki leaned in and pressed an almost feather-light kiss against his jaw that was so brief that Matsukawa wasn’t sure he hadn’t just imagined it. Stunned, he touched his jaw and stared at Hanamaki, who stared back somewhat expectantly.  
  
“Here?” Matsukawa breathed. “Now?”  
  
“Sure,” said Hanamaki with a shrug. “Iwaizumi’s holding the fort, but the kids will probably end up killing us all within the next hour, if Iwaizumi doesn’t bury me alive first, so we might as well before the world ends.”  
  
“ _So_ dramatic.”  
  
“Keeps things lively though.”  
  
Matsukawa smiled a little. “I guess it does.”  
  
Hanamaki’s fingers curled around a fistful of his shirtfront, and he pulled him close and kissed him on the lips. With his heart beating so hard that he felt slightly dizzy, Matsukawa kissed him back.  
  
And for their first kiss, it was _good_. It was incredibly nice and… _sweet_ , honestly. Or maybe that was the chocolate piece Hanamaki had eaten just before. Oh, god, was he _seriously_ thinking about the kiss’ _literal_ taste, that was like something out of a stereotypically bad romance movie, and they were _not_ about that, not _ever_ –  
  
Matsukawa felt Hanamaki’s hands wrap around his wrists lightly, and he stopped thinking about the chocolate or the… the romance movie, or… whatever the hell was going on before. He pulled away from the kiss and pressed his forehead to Hanamaki’s for a moment, slowly taking in the fact that yes, this was happening, they were doing the dating thing, and he _liked_ that they were doing the dating thing, and he knew that they could make it work, they could make it last. A smile spread across Hanamaki’s face again, and Matsukawa felt a warmth in his chest, and thought that this was probably what Hanamaki meant when he said that he felt warm too. It was cheesy. It was so cheesy. But they could deal with that. It would be worth it.  
  
Footsteps nearby made them break away from each other sharply, and they looked to see Oikawa staring back at them, jaw hanging wide open, eyes huge.  
  
“We can explain,” said Hanamaki hastily.  
  
“No, we can’t,” said Matsukawa.  
  
“Ye– okay, no, we really can’t.”  
  
“C-Cake,” Oikawa squeaked. “Cut. Cake. Ready.” He pointed vaguely in the direction of the dining room.  
  
“Okay, okay,” said Hanamaki. “Don’t short-circuit, we’re going.”  
  
“B-Birthday song.”  
  
“We broke him,” said Matsukawa.  
  
“About time,” Hanamaki muttered. “Come on, Oikawa, we can talk about this later.”  
  
“ _Candles_.”  
  
“Oh my god,” said Matsukawa.  
  
They each hooked an arm around his and began dragging him back into the dining room where all the kids had clustered around the dining table, and Iwaizumi was bringing out plastic cutlery and paper plates.  
  
“ _Finally_ ,” he said. “Where were you? Oikawa, go get more forks.”  
  
“Um,” said Matsukawa, “I’ll get them. He’ll probably just drop everything.”  
  
“Oikawa, you just… stand here and look pretty, okay?” said Hanamaki. “Don’t break anything. Your brain doesn’t count.”  
  
“What happened to you guys?” asked Iwaizumi apprehensively.  
  
“We’ll explain later,” said Matsukawa before Oikawa could reply. Oikawa made a gurgling sound in his throat and slammed his face against Iwaizumi’s shoulder, much to the latter’s surprise.  
  
“They grow up so fast, Iwa-chan,” he wheezed.  
  
“Hm? Yeah, I guess so. It seems like just yesterday that Takeru was starting kindergarten.”  
  
“Bless this dumbass,” Hanamaki whispered to Matsukawa, who nudged him as they made their way into the kitchen, gently fending off a kid who wanted another piggy-back ride, and politely dodging Neesan’s friend (“Are you _sure_ you’re not interested in my sister? She’s really a very sweet girl, you know!”).  
  
Once the cutlery, plates, and a forest’s worth of napkins were ready, Neesan’s husband brought the cake to the table: a huge, rich chocolate cake covered with light blue coloured frosting, and with a picture of a volleyball and a net drawn in white and dark brown icing, and ‘ _Happy Birthday Takeru_ ’ written in neat hiragana. The kids and Takeru’s family burst into birthday song, and while the focus was on the birthday boy, Matsukawa took the chance to rest his head on Hanamaki’s shoulder and sigh tiredly. Hanamaki just smiled and gently threaded his fingers through his hair.  
  
They were given a break when the adults took over the task of divvying up the cake, and they made their way into the living room where Matsukawa and Hanamaki promptly slumped onto the couch.  
  
“Okay, so tell me what’s going on,” said Iwaizumi with his hands on his hips. “You said you were going to explain. What happened?”  
  
Matsukawa and Hanamaki exchanged looks before staring at Oikawa, who looked like he had extremely painful lockjaw. Iwaizumi noticed, and nudged him.  
  
“Oi, spill.”  
  
Oikawa gave him a pleading sort of look before pointing at Matsukawa and Hanamaki, and whispering as though it were some unspeakable secret, “Iwa-chan, they’re _dating_.”  
  
Iwaizumi’s eyes widened and he stared from him to them.  
  
“ _What_.”  
  
“I caught them _kissing_.”  
  
“You did not, you arrived after we did,” said Matsukawa briskly.  
  
“They _hooked up at my nephew’s birthday party._ ”  
  
Iwaizumi put on an exaggeratedly mortified look, and they felt that they really shouldn’t have been surprised when his maturity levels immediately dropped to that of a grade schooler’s. “ _Ew_ ,” he said. “Should I disinfect the place?”  
  
“ _Go to hell!_ ” said Hanamaki and Matsukawa in unison.  
  
“Urgh, you both have _terrible_ taste,” Iwaizumi continued, now unable to stop a shit-eating grin from growing on his face. “Matsukawa, I’m _so_ disappointed in you–” Hanamaki sprang up from the couch and lunged at him, and they engaged in a wrestling match. “And Hanamaki, I knew you weren’t interested in Neesan’s friend’s sister, but I didn’t think it was because you preferred taller men–”  
  
“ _No, Makki!_ Please don’t commit homicide on Takeru’s birthday!”  
  
“You’re both a complete nightmare together, so this is _perfect_. This is so perfect, I’m gonna cry–”  
  
“Yeah, cry until you shrivel up, you asshole!”  
  
“ _Makki, no!_ ”  
  
“Oi, Matsukawa, back me up here!”  
  
“Can’t. Too tired. You’re doing great, though.”  
  
“ _Useless!_ ”  
  
“Ohh, trouble in paradise already?”  
  
“ _Shut it, Iwaizumi!_ ”  
  
Oikawa’s sister eventually walked in on Iwaizumi and Hanamaki yelling and scuffling on the floor, Matsukawa laughing weakly from the couch, and Oikawa kneeling beside them and attempting and failing to quell the situation.  
  
“Having fun?” she asked. The scuffling stopped and they all looked up at her guiltily. She grinned at them. “We’re opening Takeru’s presents now. There’s cake put aside for you all, and don’t tell the kids but I’ve got some ice cream for you, too—the nice expensive stuff. I really appreciate your help today.”  
  
“Thanks. We’ll come out soon,” said Oikawa. When she left the room, he added, “Come on, Iwa-chan, leave them alone. They’re all grown up now. There’s nothing we can do for them anymore.”  
  
“Maybe they’ll start being all _sweet_ and _couple-y._ God, maybe they’ll _hold hands_ …” Iwaizumi dodged as Hanamaki swiped at him.  
  
“It’s horrible. It’s like we don’t know them anymore.” Oikawa pretended to brush away fake tears. “We can only hope they won’t make out in other people’s houses again. I’ll never be the same.”  
  
“Why are we friends with you two?” said Matsukawa loudly. Iwaizumi's shit-eating grin returned, and even Oikawa couldn’t help but snicker.  
  
“This is nice. We don’t often get chances to take the piss out of you two, so we’re gonna milk this for all it’s worth,” said Iwaizumi.  
  
“Come on, Iwa-chan, we need to see the look on Takeru’s face when he opens your present. He’s going to love it.” Oikawa pulled him to his feet. “You two, keep taking a break if you need to, but if you’re going to make out, please think of the childre–” Hanamaki and Matsukawa seized a couch cushion each and threw them at him, and he and Iwaizumi darted out of the room, laughing and nudging each other knowingly.  
  
“Well,” said Hanamaki, flopping back onto the couch with an air of defeat, “that could’ve gone better.”  
  
“You started it.”  
  
“Excuse me, _you_ told me you loved me first.”  
  
“And you were the one who kissed me first.”  
  
“My bad,” said Hanamaki dryly.  
  
“I didn’t say that was a bad thing.”  
  
Hanamaki raised his eyebrows at him, but before he could reply, Matsukawa cupped his face in his hands and leaned down and kissed him—just gently, on the lips, and Hanamaki felt his heart race, and that wonderful warmth in his chest again. They ended that kiss far too soon.  
  
(But that was okay; they would have plenty more chances from now on.)  
  
“Okay,” Hanamaki wheezed. “I could definitely get used to this.” Matsukawa grinned.  
  
“Come on, let’s get some cake and ice cream.”  
  
“Give me a piggy-back over.”  
  
“ _Hell no!_ Can you imagine what Iwaizumi and Oikawa would say?”  
  
“Fair point. _Urgh_.”  
  
They shuffled their way into the dining room. Upon seeing them enter, Iwaizumi and Oikawa immediately put their heads together and snickered behind their hands, and each received an elbow to the ribs from Matsukawa and Hanamaki respectively.  
  
As they stood back to watch Takeru tear apart the gift-wrapping, Matsukawa and Hanamaki rested their hands on the kitchen bench-top and linked their fingers together contently, ignoring the teasing grins from their friends, and just enjoying each other’s presence and closeness.  
  
Maybe helping out at this birthday party wasn’t such a bad idea after all.  
  
———


End file.
